Two asylum seekers have been jailed after they chased migrant hotel staff with knives because they didn’t like they food they were served.
Ibrahim Zouari, 35, and Houssine Nouira, 32, returned to the Roundhouse Hotel in Bournemouth, Dorset, at 6.20am on April 17, 2024, and ‘aggressively’ approached staff demanding they serve them lunch that met their dietary requirements.
But when they were told it would not be possible as the kitchen was serving breakfast at the time, the pair ‘exploded’.
Tunisian migrant Nouira began the violence by picking up part of the breakfast display and throwing it at staff.
One worker admitted throwing coffee at him in retaliation which is when ‘the real ruckus began’.
Libyan migrant Zouari then brandished a chair before picking up a knife and chasing staff as he threatened them with it at one point during the five-minute disorder which was caught on CCTV and played at Bournemouth Crown Court.
Staff and other asylum seekers staying at the hotel – where multiple anti-migrant protests have taken place this year – were eventually able to calm the situation down.
Both men were charged with threatening a person with a bladed article.
Zouari – who has racked up multiple other convictions during his time in the UK – was jailed for 15 months on Friday, and Nouira had already been given a 12-month sentence in May.
Libyan migrant Ibrahim Zouari (pictured outside court wearing a black North Face jacket), 35, has been jailed for 15 months after he brandished a chair and chased migrant hotel staff with a knife
Tunisian migrant Houssine Nouira (pictured outside court wearing a black New Balance sweatshirt), 32, was sentenced to 12 months in jail back in May after he picked up part of the breakfast display and throwing it at staff
Zouari and Nouira had both been staying at The Roundhouse Hotel (pictured) in Bournemouth which has been used as accommodation for asylum seekers for two years
Zouari came to the UK illegally in 2022 from Libya, where he said he faced a lot of political trouble, particularly because his family were pro-Gaddafi – the brutal totalitarian former leader who committed serious human rights violations and supported terrorism.
He claims he was tortured in his home country and his brother was killed by militia.
The court heard Zouari had been ‘bounced’ from one asylum hotel to another before he ended up at the Roundhouse and had been there for around two months when the incident happened.
Stuart Ellacott, prosecuting, said: ‘They approached aggressively asking for lunch from the staff who told them that wasn’t possible as it was breakfast time they would have to make do with breakfast.
‘Matters got out of hand when Mr Nouira began the violence, picking up part of the breakfast display and throwing it towards the staff. The member of staff accepts he threw some coffee back, then the real ruckus began.
Mr Ellacott said Zouari can be seen on CCTV with a knife in his hand and armed with a chair at another point as well as chasing Vignesh Ponnusamy ‘on a number of occasions’.
He added: ‘Mr Ponnusamy describes he thought he was going to be killed, it made him feel like it was his last day of his life; they were going to kill him as no one could stop them.
‘It was a prolonged incident, there was a risk of serious disorder and serious alarm or distress was caused to the victim.’
The court heard at the time Zouari had a previous offence of theft but since this incident has built up several convictions for assaulting emergency workers, shoplifting and public disorder offences.
Lauren Matthews, mitigating, said: ‘Mr Zouari is frustrated and annoyed that he essentially went along with his peers. He does express genuine remorse and accepts responsibility for his actions.
‘Mr Zouari comes from quite a depraved background. He came from Libya, he tells me he experienced torture while in Libya. He said there was a lot of political trouble, particularly because his family were pro-Gaddafi.
‘His mother passed away some time ago, his father more recently during Covid and his brother was killed by militia. The only person left in his family is his sister, she is in a difficult marriage in Libya, that has caused their relationship to become fractured.
Zouari (pictured on his phone outside court wearing a North Face tracksuit and Nike Air Max trainers) came to the UK illegally in 2022 from Libya, where he said he faced a lot of political trouble, particularly because his family were pro-Gaddafi
A number of peaceful anti-migrant protests have taken place recently outside the 102-room Roundhouse Hotel in Bournemouth calling for its closure
The court heard at the time Zouari (pictured outside court) had a previous offence of theft but since this incident has built up several convictions for assaulting emergency workers, shoplifting and public disorder offences
‘He was brought here in 2022 and is an illegal entrant. He has never been granted asylum and his claim or appeal is ongoing.
‘He just wants to live a peaceful life as much as possible. In Libya he trained in construction, something if he was given status in the UK he would wish to pursue.
‘He is someone who suffers from anxiety and depression and has a PTSD diagnosis which means he is unable to regulate his emotions in the same way, particularly in respect of conflict.’
Recorder Brian Fitzherbert said: ‘You and your co-defendant aggressively demanded that you be provided with lunch which met your dietary requirements. That obviously couldn’t be done because the staff were dealing with serving breakfast.
‘Your aggression escalated and led to disorder. Mr Nouira began the violence by picking up part of the breakfast display and throwing it towards staff. When a staff member threw some coffee back, you and Mr Nouari exploded.
‘You armed yourself with a knife and attacked a member of staff. He initially defended himself but seeing you had a knife he ran away and you chased him and chased him.
‘You have asserted you just wanted to speak to Mr Ponnusamy after the initial violence. I reject that assertion. It’s a bizarre thing to assert. For one, in order to speak to someone, you don’t need to throw a chair at them.’
He added it was a prolonged incident, serious offence and in a place where vulnerable people were likely to be present.
But he did accept ‘your PTSD was directly linked to your overreaction once the incident had begun’.
Recorder Fitzherbert said: ‘Although Mr Nouira started it, it’s my assessment that you played the leading role out of the two in what followed.
‘You pose a risk to the public, I do not consider there to be a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.’
Nouira came to the UK illegally in a small boat in June 2023 having fled Tunisia, where he was being chased and threatened by the family of a woman he had gotten pregnant.
Asylum seekers loiter outside the Roundhouse Hotel, one of three migrant hotels in Bournemouth, in October
Asylum seekers from Eritrea are seen drinking cans of Stella Artois while overlooking the sea view
At his hearing, his lawyer sought to persuade the judge to sentence him to less than 12 months in jail – the criteria that triggers automatic deportation, although people can appeal under human rights law.
But Judge Robert Pawson said he could not as ‘serious disorder ensued’ and jailed him for 12 months.
A number of peaceful anti-migrant protests have taken place recently outside the 102-room Roundhouse Hotel in Bournemouth calling for its closure.
Other protests have also taken place at two other migrant hotels on the same road – the 79-room Chine Hotel and 123-room Britannia Hotel.
Dozens of criminal charges have been brought against residents at the town’s three migrant hotels, it emerged in August.
At the time, a total of 91 charges had been brought against people staying at the Britannia and Roundhouse – just 180 yards from each other – and another 25 against those at the Chine Hotel, amounting to 116 counts against 51 different asylum seekers.
All three have been closed to the public for the exclusive use of asylum seekers for the past two years.
Locals claim that people, especially young women, feel scared to go into the town at night because of the rise in migrant hotels.
In August, a migrant housed in the hotel was pictured grinning as he put his middle finger up at demonstrators from the window of his room.
A drunk Somali asylum seeker who spat at a police officer while staying at the Roundhouse Hotel avoided punishment in September.
Police were called to a disturbance at the hotel which had seen Shafi Momad, 30, in a ‘very angry’ state.
The asylum seeker was said to have been inebriated, having downed half a bottle of vodka and beers, and officers called in backup to restrain him.
As PC Browning took hold of Momad, the defendant launched a volley of spit which landed on his hand, Poole Magistrates’ Court heard.
The migrant, who continues to stay at the historic hotel despite being in the country for five years, was then arrested for assault on an emergency worker.
Drunk Somali asylum seeker Shafi Momad (pictured) spat at a police officer while staying in at The Roundhouse Hotel in Bournemouth
Halil Dal (pictured), 30, was caught on CCTV smashing a glass bottle against a wall outside the Camel nightclub in Bournemouth, Dorset last December before attacking a man
Violent asylum seeker Shkar Jamal (pictured), 24, who is living in the same hotel as Dal, missed his sentencing hearing for threatening a man with a snooker cue in a public place so he could eat fish and chips nearby
Hana Hassan (pictured), 22, who living in the Britannia Hotel, was one of a 12-strong mob armed with machetes who attacked a shopkeeper in the town following a nightclub dispute. He was jailed for seven years
He pleaded guilty to the offence in court, where it was heard he was already serving a six-week suspended prison sentence for a religiously aggravated assault on a member of the public.
But because his latest offence took place before he was sentenced for the earlier offence in March, it was not taken into consideration as the magistrates issued their sanction.
Magistrate chair Paul Kemp said that although an assault on an emergency worker was a ‘serious matter’ he would issue a conditional discharge for 12 months.
Earlier this month, two other asylum seekers who were staying at The Roundhouse were jailed for separate attacks on a police officer and a doctor.
Afghan migrant Akmal Sifa, 23 – who entered the UK illegally in 2017 – ripped off a metal window blind and used it to assault a GP when he was refused medication in September.
He admitted assault and was jailed for seven months.
Sudanese national Khalid Mohammed, 22 – who came to the UK illegally in 2019 and has six previous convictions – kicked a police officer in the chest when he was arrested over a drunken disturbance in March.
He admitted assaulting a police officer and was jailed for seven days.
In the first week of October, three migrants from the Britannia Hotel were hauled to court for separate crimes.
Turkish migrant Halil Dal, 30, was spared jail after drunkenly stabbing a man with a broken bottle.
Days earlier, violent asylum seeker Shkar Jamal, 24, missed his sentencing for threatening a man with a snooker cue so he could eat fish and chips nearby instead.
And Kurdish migrant Hana Hassan, 22, was one of a 12-strong mob armed with machetes who attacked a shopkeeper in the town following a nightclub dispute. He was jailed for seven years.
